The ethnobotanical study on screwpine (Pandanus odoratissimus L.f.): usage and importance in supporting the domestic economy of the local people in Ujung Kulon, Banten

Abstract

The local people of Ujung Kulon use the leaves of screwpine (Pandanus odoratissimus L.f.) for their daily purposes,especially making mats. The people recognise two entities of pandanus/screwpine as two different taxa, the “pandan samak†and “pandan lautâ€. Both are identified here as belonging to P. odoratissimus. The two taxa are regarded closely related, in which the “pandan laut†is believed to be the wild type of the domesticated “pandan samakâ€. Its cultivated in Ciundil. Although P. furcatus Roxburgh and P. dubius Sprengel are also recognised, neither is used as source of mats.

Key words: ethnobotany, pandan, Pandanus odoratissimus L.f., Ujung Kulon